The Senate Regulated Industries passed Committee Substitute for SB1692 on Wednesday afternoon, March 28, 2001 without the proposed 5 amendments. The next stop for this legislation is the Finance and Tax Committee. By clicking on the above Bill, you can keep up with its progress as it is linked to Online Sunshine.
An interim study has been requested to study the amendments that were proposed. The FGA will request that several other points be included in this study.
The consideration of 5 amendments to CS/SBs 1044 & 1692 was postponed this morning in the Senate's Regulated Industries Committee Meeting. These items will be addressed on Wednesday, March 28, 2001 at 2 PM in Room 110 SOB. Your FGA President and Secretary/Treasurer will be in Tallahassee for this meeting and invite anyone interested in attending to be there too. It is important for these legislators to see you and hear from you.
Thursday morning, FGA/NGA Lobbyist Jack Cory contacted the FGA that the greyhound permitholders were introducting 5 amendments to the greyhound welfare issue bills being considered. The following is a copy of our response to each of the amendments and submitted to Mr. Cory.
FGA RESPONSE TO PROPOSED FIVE AMENDMENTS TO CS to SB1692 and SB1044
AMENDMENT #1: Puts all the financial expense to adopt the “Racing Greyhound Adoption Act” on the kennel owners with no financial liability on premitholders.
AMENDMENT #2: Allows at least 5 greyhound permitholders in State to eliminate Live Racing entirely while allowing them to handle Intertrack and Simulcast racing.
This action will make them exclusive area off-track betting parlors.
This alone will result in thousands of greyhound dogs having to be relocated throughout the country – or adopted out as pets in the first year alone.
It would be an impossible task – and we would hate to predict the “welfare” issues that would be faced here in Florida!
AMENDMENT #3: This calls for the 1/3 tax reduction to go to the host track. It is a blatant attempt to encourage kennel operators at large host facilities to support these amendments.
AMENDMENT #4: This would probably be necessary if Amendment 2 and 3 are adopted.
AMENDMENT #5: THIS IS EXTREMELY UNCLEAR!
It appears to place the entire financial responsibility of supporting greyhound adoption through bona fide organizations entirely on the kennel operations at the permitholders’ facilities.
ONLY CHARITY DAY FUNDS (which are State funds) WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE PERMITHOLDERS.
The .5% of said purses is very ambiguous – is it based on total dollars out of purses paid? Or, is it a ˝ percent of handle that permitholders must pay?
EXAMPLE: If purse percentage to kennels is 4% - does this mean kennels will only be paid 3 ˝% and the other ˝% is withheld for this provision?
SUMMATION:
The above amendments appear to be another attempt by the permitholders in the State of Florida to show their “GOOD AND FAIR INTENTIONS” of cooperating and working with the greyhound men and women of Florida to insure the well being and survival of the wonderful Sport of Queens in this state.
After 12 long, hard years of fighting to improve a declining industry, you would think there would be some honor among “THIEVES”!
We urge the immediate defeat of these Amendments. A Greyhound Protection Act was a request of the Senate Committee – it was not established as a vehicle to further destroy an industry that is bobbing to keep its head above water.
We ask you to please contact the members of this committee and urge them to vote "NO" on the Wasserman-Shutlz's Amendments to CS/SBs 1044 & 1692! Email addresses and Tallahassee phone numbers are listed below. Please contact YOUR Senator from YOUR area and
make your feelings known.
Sen.Victor Crist: crist.victor@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5068) (Tampa)
Sen.Steven Geller: geller.steven.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5097)
(Hollywood/Hallendale)
Sen.Jim Horne:(no public email)(850-487-5027) (Orange Park)
Sen.Mandy Dawson: dawson.mandy.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5112) (Ft.Lauderdale)
Sen.Jim King: king.james.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5030) (Jacksonville)
Sen.Alex Diaz de la Portilla: portilla.alex.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5109) (Miami)
Sen.Debby Sanderson: sanderson.debby.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5100)
(Ft. Lauderdale)
Sen.Walter Campbell: (no public email)(850-487-5094) (Tamarac)
Sen.Tom Lee: lee.tom.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5072) (Brandon)
Sen.Ron Klein: klein.ron.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5091) (Delray Beach)
Sen.Jack Latvala: latvala.jack.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5062) (Palm Harbor)
Sen.Debbie Wasserman-Shultz: shultz.debbie.web@leg.state.fl.us (850-487-5103) (Pembroke Pines)
Sen.Betty Holzendorf: (no public email) (850-487-5027) (Jacksonville)
REPORT POSTED MARCH 21,1000
The Legislative Year 2001 may be known as the "Year of Greyhound Welfare"! Due to the tax breaks received last Session and the budget short falls in Tallahassee this Session, the rewrite of the Pari Mutuels statutes as proposed by the Division of Pari Mutuel Wagering and requested by Governor Jeb Bush personally - appear to be tabled for the 2001 Legislative Session of the Florida Legislature.
Proposals before the two Chambers this Session deal only with Greyhound Welfare issues. There are two proposed Bills originated in the Senate on the dockets. Senator Burt Sanders of Naples has introduced Senate Bill 1044 - dealing with the welfare of racing greyhounds (see description below - use link to review contents of proposed Bill).
Senator Debra Wasserman Schultz has introduced SB1692 which deals with greyhound adoptions and provides an additional Charity Day for this benefit (see description below - use link to review contents of proposed Bill). A companion bill to this is in the House and is bill #H1427 sponsored by Rep. Stacy Ritter of Coral Springs (description and link below).
Both of these proposed Bills are important to our industry and are issues that we have been addressing for the past 12 years in the Florida Legislature. With the short falls in the budget in Tallahassee this Session, we are optimistic that these Bills may become law and finally address some major welfare issues pending in the greyhound industry here in Florida.
One other piece of legislation, introduced in both the Senate and the House, of interest to all greyhound men and women in Florida is HB151 by Rep. Tim Ryan (D) of Dania Beach and its companion bill, SB104 by Sen. Steve Geller (D) of Hallendale Beach. This proposed Bill deals with cardrooms (full description and links below).
S1692 GENERAL BILL
S1692 GENERAL BILL by Wasserman Schultz (Identical H 1427) Greyhound Adoption; requires dogracing permitholders to provide greyhound-adoption booth at each dogracing facility in state; requires that information re adoption of greyhound be made available to public at facility; requires permitholder to provide adoption information in racing programs & identify greyhounds that will become available for adoption; authorizes permitholder to hold additional charity day designated as "Greyhound Adopt-A-Pet Day", etc. EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/01/2001. 03/06/01 SENATE Filed 03/16/01 SENATE Introduced, referred to Regulated Industries; Finance and Taxation -SJ 00165 03/20/01 SENATE On Committee agenda-- Regulated Industries, 03/23/01, 9:00 am, 110-S
HB1427 GENERAL BILL
H1427 GENERAL BILL by Rep. Ritter (Identical S 1692) Greyhound Adoption; requires dogracing permitholders to provide greyhound adoption booth at each dogracing facility in state; requires that information re adoption of greyhound be made available to public at facility; requires permitholder to provide adoption information in racing programs & identify greyhounds that will become available for adoption; authorizes permitholder to hold additional charity day designated as "Greyhound Adopt-A-Pet Day", etc. EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/01/2001. 03/16/01 HOUSE Filed 03/19/01 HOUSE Introduced -HJ 00182
S1044 GENERAL BILL
S1044 GENERAL BILL by Saunders Racing Greyhound Protection Act; provides standards to ensure welfare of racing greyhounds; provides penalties. EFFECTIVE DATE: 10/01/2001. 02/22/01 SENATE Prefiled 03/07/01 SENATE Introduced, referred to Regulated Industries; Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government; Appropriations -SJ 00118 03/20/01 SENATE On Committee agenda-- Regulated Industries, 03/23/01, 9:00 am, 110-S
SB104 GENERAL BILL
S104 GENERAL BILL by Geller (Identical H 151) Cardrooms; prescribes licensing requirements when more than one permitholder uses same facility; provides cardroom license fees; revises standards on when cardrooms may be operated & amount of bets allowable for each round, hand, or game; authorizes facilities to award prizes; revises rate of gross receipts tax on admissions; revises amount of cardroom receipts that must be used to supplement greyhound & jai alai purses. Amends 849.086. EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/01/2001. 01/02/01 SENATE Prefiled 01/11/01 SENATE Referred to Regulated Industries; Finance and Taxation; Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government; Appropriations 03/06/01 SENATE Introduced, referred to Regulated Industries; Finance and Taxation; Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government; Appropriations -SJ 00015 03/09/01 SENATE On Committee agenda-- Regulated Industries, 03/14/01, 9:15 am, 110-S --Temporarily postponed
HB151 GENERAL BILL
H151 GENERAL BILL by Ryan (Identical S 104) Cardrooms; prescribes licensing requirements when more than one permitholder uses same facility; provides cardroom license fees; revises standards on when cardrooms may be operated & amount of bets allowable for each round, hand, or game; authorizes facilities to award prizes; revises rate of gross receipts tax on admissions; revises amount of cardroom receipts that must be used to supplement greyhound & jai alai purses. Amends 849.086. EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/01/2001. 01/12/01 HOUSE Prefiled 01/23/01 HOUSE Referred to Business Regulation (SGC); Agriculture & Consumer Affairs (CCC); Fiscal Policy & Resources (FRC); Council for Smarter Government 03/06/01 HOUSE Introduced, referred to Business Regulation (SGC); Agriculture & Consumer Affairs (CCC); Fiscal Policy & Resources (FRC); Council for Smarter Government -HJ 00023
